Dublin Castle

 So on the first Wednesday of each month access to the interior of Dublin Castle is FREE! Seeing as I don't have class until 4pm (or 16:00 as they say here- military time is surprisingly hard to get used to), I figured I'd take a trip to explore! So Carly and I set out and were quite surprised. You'd expect a very rustic, medieval castle with kind of bare, but warm decorations. It is the complete opposite- very lavish with chandeliers made from Waterford crystal and gold-leaf paint. It is beautiful and I would definitely be okay with calling it home!

 The exterior around the courtyard.

 Left: Lady Justice- very controversial as she is missing her blindfold and thus judging everyone and she also has her back to the city and the people of Dublin. Right: the presidential seal of Ireland- not to be confused with the Guinness logo which is the mirror image of the same harp.

 The ladies drawing room where they primped and got ready for the social events.

 Throne made for King Henry IV (I think...). It had to be altered for Queen Victoria (4 inches off each leg and a foot stool so her legs didn't dangle- King Henry IV was a very large man). On top there are statues of the Unicorn of Scotland and the Lion of England (Tudor family) symbolizing their hold over Ireland.

 St. Patrick's Hall. This is where the Presidential inauguration takes place and where the banquet for the Queen was held last year.

The remains of the medieval part of the castle are underneath the current structure. This is a part of the city wall and what is left of the moat (it was connected to a tributary which still connects to the River Liffey but only underground).

Overall, it was a very interesting and educational day! Today will hopefully be the same, as a group of us are going to go to one of the many museums in Dublin (haven't chosen the specific one yet). But first, it's off to my last class of the week! 

Slainte!